Drops of Jupiter
by Ziva- Zia- Z
Summary: She returned from the City, with a new confidence & a new understanding of her once very small world. She returned with a secret discovered while away, a new opportunity gifted to her out of the promise of a new life, & a choice to make. She survived her fall from a shooting star, & returned- not necessarily to him- with drops of Jupiter in her hair. Rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

**Drops of Jupiter **

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: She returned from the City, with a new confidence and a new understanding of her once very small world. She returned with a secret discovered while away, a new opportunity gifted to her out of the promise of a new life, and a choice to make. She survived her fall from a shooting star, and returned- not necessarily to him- with drops of Jupiter in her hair. Rewritten four years ago, found last year. **

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

_"Now that she's back in the atmosphere_  
_With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey_  
_She acts like summer and walks like rain_  
_Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey_  
_Since the return of her stay on the moon_  
_She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey_  
_Hey, hey_

_But tell me did you sail across the sun?_  
_Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded_  
_And that heaven is overrated?_

_Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star,_  
_One without a permanent scar_  
_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?"_

_\- Train, _

_Drops of Jupiter, _

_Drops of Jupiter album, 2001_

_One Year Later_

She hadn't returned.

She'd left for the Emerald City, with Glinda on her arm, her constant companion; according to Glinda, they'd met the Wizard- and then something had happened, and Glinda had returned to Shiz.

Alone.

_She. hadn't. returned. _

A year had gone by, with not a word from the green-skinned girl with the big dreams and the outspoken personality. The girl who'd captured his heart from the moment they'd met.

Glinda had become a lot quieter, with her roommate gone. She'd retreated into herself, becoming bookish, choosing darker colors to wear, causes to get involved in, as though somehow changing herself would bring her best friend back from the Emerald City. She never spoke of what went on between Elphaba and the Wizard, and eventually, the name Elphaba Thropp faded from everyone's vocabulary. She had been a student, who had once attended Shiz, who had gone off to the Emerald City, only to never return. Eventually, the strain of not having her sister around became too much for Nessa, and she too left Shiz, returning to Munchkinland and enrolling in the University of Munch, to be closer to her father.

Rumors swirled; rumors that she had fallen into the trafficking trade, that she'd become the madame of a cat house in the slums of the City, that she'd been murdered by a serial killer and her body left unidentified. Any number of stories and half-truths danced about Shiz those first six months after her refusal to return. They were rumors he hoped- prayed- weren't true. He was certain his heart couldn't take it.

Now seniors and six months away from graduation, his future appeared bleak. He would return to the Vinkus, and essentially shadow his father, in preparation for when he would eventually take the throne. Anyone looking at him would scoff, that he viewed his future so bleakly, but for him, without her by his side, it was true. His parents knew that she had been the one he'd been truly interested in, the one he wished to one day make his wife-

A sigh escaped his throat and by he didn't turn his gaze from the window; he could feel Glinda's blue gaze turn to look at him from her seat in front of him- next to the seat once occupied by _her_. Glinda hadn't taken the breakup well, but eventually, she'd gotten over it, realizing that he'd spoken the truth, that his heart had always belonged to her, to the one that literally got away, and nothing, and no one, would change that.

Something flashed beneath the window, and he leaned closer. Someone was walking past, headed towards the Admissions office. A young woman, with a head of dark hair, a book bag slung over her shoulder. _Any one of the hundreds of girls on this campus that don't have class at this time, Yero. It's not her, no matter how badly you want it to be. _

He barely heard the professor dismiss class, and after a moment, gathered his books and grabbed his jacket, tugging it on before falling into step beside Glinda as they left, headed for the cafeteria. The blonde hugged her books to her chest, the lite, black jacket she wore over the dark blue blouse flapping open in the slight breeze. Neither spoke, too lost in their own thoughts for conversation.

As they reached the green, he stopped. The person that had traipsed by the window earlier stood in front of the Admissions building, talking with someone, her back to them. "Hey, Glinda, who's that?"

The blonde looked up, furrowing a brow. "I... I don't know."

The pair shared a glance, shrugging before making their way towards the person, for the cafeteria was half a block from Admissions. He couldn't help straining to hear the conversation, expecting it to be just another student asking about summer courses or the upcoming fall semester. It was neither. His feet ground to a halt as he heard the familiar soft lilt, and after a moment, Glinda turned back to him. "Fiyero? What is it?"

But he shook his head, watching the girl speak with the older woman who worked the desk. _That voice... I haven't heard that voice in a year... turn around. Please! Turn around!_

"... so sorry you won't be continuing your education at Shiz, but I'm so thrilled for you. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity, to work with the Wizard! I hope it's everything you hoped for-"

"It is." She cut the woman off, voice soft. "It's everything I could ever want! Staying in the City was the best decision I could ever make. I have no regrets." A heartbeat of silence. "Well, that's not entirely true. I have one." She smiled at the woman, shaking her head as though shaking the thought away and holding out a hand. "Thank you for all your help, Ms. Yenter. I'll make sure to let the Wizard know that there are no hard feelings between the university and I; he understands that it was a spur of the moment decision, and I had no real time to make a clean break at the time, and even less time for the last year. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

The woman nodded, squeezing her hand gently, with a soft, "Oz-speed. I know you will do truly wonderful things alongside the Wizard. He couldn't have made a better choice, choosing you as his Grand Vizer, Miss Elphaba."

Fiyero's eyes widened, and he could no longer control himself. _"Elphaba?" _

"What?" Glinda glanced at him before turning to the girl, who's back seemed to go rail-straight at his voice. After several moments, she slowly turned, and Fiyero and Glinda found themselves once more face-to-face with one Elphaba Thropp.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

Tension filled the air; it crackled and sparked, and time seemed to stand still.

Eventually, a soft sigh escaped her, and she licked her lips nervously. She adjusted her hold on the small black clutch held tight in her grasp, and stepped back, squaring her shoulders and lifting her head. "Hello, Yero." Her voice was soft as it caressed his name, like a lover caressing his skin during the most passionate of acts. Her dark gaze darted to the blonde at his side, and she softened, both visibly and vocally. "Hello, Glinda."

The blonde, for her part, just stood with her mouth agape, blue eyes wide in shock, at the sight of her best friend standing before her again after a year's absence. And then, suddenly, tears began to fill blue eyes, and she choked on a sob. "Oh, Elphie..." But she didn't move, other than to reach up and brush the tears falling away. Elphaba watched her, a tiny smile tugging at her lips, before she finally spoke.

"You've changed, Glinda."

Sniff. "So have you."

She was right.

It was now that Fiyero allowed himself to look at the girl he loved. She was still thin- she would always be thin, no matter how many years passed- but there was a softness to her body, as though the curves she hadn't possessed when she first arrived at Shiz had come in while away in the City. Her skin still shone like a fresh cut emerald; it was supple, young, healthy. She looked a hundred times healthier now than she had three years earlier, on that cloudy day in August, at the beginning of their freshman year. Her dark eyes still remained those same mysterious remnants of the night sky, dusted with stars and glittering in the early afternoon light. Her features had lost some of their sharpness; now he realized that her face was closer to heart-shape than a hatchet, and there was a slight upturn to her small, slender nose. A light smattering of dark freckles danced across her cheeks and nose- had they always been there, and he'd just never noticed?

She was dressed in a pair of black pants, with a dark green scoop-neck blouse and a black tweed jacket with a mandarin collar, held closed by the top button at her throat. A pair of black kitten heels were on her feet and her long black hair was tumbled down her back to her waist in layered waves. Flashes of purple could be seen amid the black-

_It's like she's got drops of Jupiter in her hair; just enough to tease you, but not enough to completely surprise you. She looks beautiful._

She cleared her throat, and his gaze was torn from her hair to her neck; a silver chain hung down. The lavaliere necklace ended in a crescent moon, with a single blue star sapphire teardrop dangling in the center, from the top of the moon. A pair of crescent earrings dangled from her ears, and her makeup was subtle, but just enough so that it highlighted her dark eyes.

"How... has the year gone?"

Silence.

Glinda swallowed thickly. "When you first left," She began, ignoring the question deliberately. "I dreamed of this moment, when you'd come back. And always, it was the same. You show up at Shiz, with some... half-assed apology, and my first response would be to smack the green right out of your skin." She choked on a soft laugh, the corners of Elphaba's eyes crinkled as her glossed lips tugged upwards slightly in the hints of a smirk; Fiyero kept silent, his thoughts too out of control for him to form coherent sentences at the moment. "But now... now that you're really back..." She dissolved into soft sobs, and sadness appeared to flick across Elphaba's features.

"I'm not back, Glinda. Not to attend."

The blonde swallowed thickly, turning tear-filled eyes to her former roommate.

"You're leaving us? Elphie, you left us once, how could you-"

"I just needed to get some things settled with Shiz before I return to the City, that's all. Paperwork and whatnot." Elphaba replied, soft voice all business now. She bit her lip, glancing at Fiyero, who had been listening to everything, but hadn't yet said a word. "I don't belong at Shiz anymore. I have more important matters to attend to now."

"Like what Ms. Yenter said?" His voice was thick with unshed tears, and he swallowed against the lump. It was the only thing he could really latch onto, the only thing that jarred him from the shock that the girl he loved was back on campus. "Elphaba, is it really true?"

A heartbeat. "... is what true?"

She met his gaze, lifting her chin slightly, attempting to make herself appear taller than she was. While Elphaba may have been the older of the two girls- having turned twenty in September of the previous year, before Glinda's upcoming May birthday- she was the shorter of the two former roommates. It was a joke between the girls that everything about Elphaba, minus her mind, was small- from her size four feet, to her natural eighteen inch waist, to her five foot three inch height. Glinda, despite being younger, was naturally taller than the older girl by a good three inches.

"What Ms. Yenter said." He replied softly. He glanced at Glinda, who shrugged, sniffling. "That..." A deep sigh escaped his throat. "That you're the Wizard's..."

"Grand Vizer." Glinda whispered, biting her lip. Silence settled between the trio, and after a moment, Elphaba lifted her gaze from the sapphire diamond peaking out from beneath the collar of Fiyero's shirt, to meet her friends' eyes. Slowly, she nodded, swallowing thickly.

"Yes, Yero." She breathed. "It is. It's true, what Ms. Yenter said. I'm the Wizard's Grand Vizer. That's why I didn't return from the City last year. After you left, Glinda, he offered me the position. And I accepted, on one condition."

"To free the Animals." Glinda automatically replied, and Elphaba wrinkled her nose briefly.

"No, actually. Something else. Something more... personal." She stopped, biting her lip, falling into thought, as though weighing the impact of her next words. "It was good to see you again, Glinda, Yero. I missed you." A small smile tugged at Glinda's lips, but Fiyero watched her, wary of her words. "Now if you'll excuse me, I... I have to go."

And without another word, she turned, long black waves fanning out around her as she turned one the ball of her foot and quickly strode down the path, towards the waiting black car. The driver held the door open for her and she slipped inside with a soft nod to his, "Madame Vizer", and soon, the car was gone, whisking her back towards the City, and once more out of their lives, as quickly as she'd come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

And just like that, she was gone.

_So close; she'd been so close, and yet, you let her walk away. Again. _

Somehow, someway, they'd made it from the front of the Admissions building to the cafeteria, and now sat across from each other, both picking at their food, nursing their coffee, unsure of how to broach the topic that had just blown into and out of their lives for the second time in four years. He couldn't get the sight of her out of his head; she'd appeared so grown up, so... adult, as though she were an instructor facing a couple unruly children.

And that's what he felt like, an unruly, stupid child, who hadn't known how to string a sentence together and ask her to stay. Instead, he'd let her walk away again, for good this time. _You heard her, she's not coming back. _

"The Grand Vizer. Elphie's the Wizard's Grand Vizer. Can you believe it?" Glinda whispered, and he shook his head, sipping his coffee.

"She was always going to do great things." He replied automatically, before pushing his mug aside. Silence settled over the table again, and after a moment, he folded his arms on the table. "How... could she not tell us this? I mean... how hard is it to pick up a pen and write out a quick letter? _'Dear Yero and Glinda, I have the most amazing news! The Wizard has asked me to become his Grand Vizer! Unfortunately, it means I will have to completely withdraw from Shiz, but you know what? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I've accepted it, even though I won't be returning to school. I'm sorry.'_ How _hard_ is that?"

"Maybe she didn't know how to put it into words."

Fiyero sighed, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest. "It's _Elphaba_. She's_ always_ been good with words."

Glinda pushed her half-eaten bowl of soup aside with a sigh, and propped her chin in her hand. "I don't know then, Fiyero. Maybe she just... forgot? I don't know the inner workings of Elphie's mind, no matter how close we were. I wish I did, but I don't." Silence settled at the table once more, until finally, Fiyero stood, grabbing his bag and jacket. "Where are you going?"

He turned back to her. "Back to my dorm. I'm going to go lie down and... try to wrap my head around the fact that Elphaba just blew in and our of our lives for a second time without so much as a goodbye." And without another word, he turned and strode out of the cafeteria, heading back to Bristol Hall. The walk was leisurely, as much as it could be, what with his thoughts racing every which way.

_How could she do that? Just come in for the briefest of moments before going out again, permanently? How could a year have possibly changed her so much? What happened that day? What happened between Elphaba and the Wizard that Glinda didn't see? What did he offer her to get her to take the position? Money? Power? A combination of both? Her own province? Her own country? What was so significant, it got Fae to change her mind and stay? _

Once back behind the door of his dorm, he dropped his book bag by the door, toed off his shoes, and then flopped onto the top of the bed, rubbing a hand over his face. Her reason for staying, much like Elphaba herself, was as mysterious as the night sky scattered with stars. She hadn't given anything away, no tells, no little hesitations- other than her normal lip biting- that would indicate that anything could be inferred. In fact, if anything, she'd played it completely cool and collected, despite Glinda's tears and his silence.

With a sigh, he let his eyes close into a soft sleep-

_"Something more... personal." _

Her words echoed in his head as his eyes snapped open.

_Something personal. _

_Personal. _

That was his one clue. Whatever the Wizard had offered her, had promised to give her to make her stay, had been of a personal nature to her. It probably wasn't some fancy gift she would only use or wear once. It was something tailored more towards her specific interests, probably. Like Animal rights. Or maybe it even had something to do with the well-being of Munchkinland, or Nessa. Or maybe even Elphaba herself.

Climbing to his feet, he pulled a notebook from his bag and took a seat at his desk, quickly jotting down everything he could think of that would be considered personal to Elphaba, before finally deciding that he needed to speak to Glinda; that she might have some more insight into Elphaba, because she was Glinda's best friend, her former roommate.

Slipping back into his shoes, he grabbed the notebook and dashed out of the dorm, hurrying across the green towards Crage Hall. After bounding up three flights of stairs, he came to a halt in front of what had been Elphaba and Glinda's dorm and now was just simply Glinda's. Minutes passed, as he tersely knocked on it, waiting eagerly for the blonde to open up.

After a couple minutes, the door opened and Glinda poked her head out. "Fiyero? What are you-"

"I think I know why Elphaba didn't return last year." He cut her off, barging into the room.

"Come on in, no problem." She muttered under her breath, before finally shutting the door and making her way to her bed. Taking a seat, she watched as he stopped in his tracks, suddenly surprised that Elphaba's things were no longer on her side of the dorm. "Elphie had her things removed last year after I got back from the City, remember? I went to class one day and came back, and everything that was hers was gone. Boxed up and sent somewhere."

"Right." He hadn't been in the girls' dorm room since before they'd left for the City, and it was a shock to see the other side so... bare. "How do you cope with it? Why haven't you found a roommate yet?" She shrugged.

"I don't want any other roommate but Elphie. And... it was hard at first, but now... now I'm used to it, the silence, the quiet, the loneliness." She sighed. "Now, what were you saying about knowing why Elphie didn't come back last year?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

_Emerald City Proper_

The doors shut behind her with a soft click.

"Madame."

She waved briefly to the guards, her jacket billowing slightly out behind her. The palace was bustling, as usual, but was also unusually quiet. Servants nodded to the young woman as they hurried past, going about their duties. "I'm back!"

Silence met her, and after several moments, she made a beeline towards the Wizard's personal study. Once before the simple Quoxwood door, she knocked softly, mindful of the work he was often wrapped up in. After several minutes, she turned, nodding to the guard posted outside. He nodded, stepping away as the young Grand Vizier opened the study door and slipped inside, shutting it softly behind her.

He wasn't a very tall man, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz; in actuality, he was fairly short in stature, with a head of greying hair and small, circular glasses that always perched precariously on the end of his nose. His mustache, as greying as his hair, was trimmed neatly, giving him a 'distinguished professor' look. At the moment, as she shut the door softly behind her, she noticed how he slouched within the wing-backed leather chair, looking as though the weight of a thousand universes rested upon his shoulders.

With a soft sigh, she leaned back against the door, crossing her hands in front of her, the black clutch she held dangling between her fingers. At the moment, she was no longer Emerald City royalty, but a girl at the tender age of twenty, observing the man who had changed her entire life in a single year. "How long have you been sitting like this?"

A moment passed, before the Wizard slowly lifted his head. "When did you get back?"

"Few minutes ago."

"How did everything go with Shiz?"

She pushed herself away from the door, wandering towards his desk. "As well as expected. You know, despite the fact that I ran into my former roommate and the boy I've had a crush on since freshman year." She shrugged. "The school understands. They're happy for me. At least I think they are." She took a seat in the chair on the other side of his desk, automatically crossing her ankles before removing her jacket and draping it over the back.

He nodded. "Good." His dark eyes moved up, meeting her gaze. "Your former roommate? The Upland girl?"

"The one and only." She replied, pursing her lips briefly. A sigh escaped her throat. "And... Fiyero Tigelaar, Crown Prince of the Vinkus." She screwed up her mouth with a shake of her head. "I was _hoping_ to get in and out without being noticed by anyone, and instead, I get noticed by the two people I want to see the_ least_ at the moment."

"The least?" He raised an eyebrow, and, she shrugged.

"It's been a year. And I just... vanished into the crowds of the City that day, leaving Glinda to return to Shiz alone, without a reason, without an explanation, without an apology. And then I show up at Shiz a year later to withdraw, and run into both of them. When they asked why, all I said it was for personal reasons that I chose to stay. That... that you offered me something personal in return for my staying." She nodded to the object he held, that he'd been intently studying before she walked in. "I didn't tell them that it was a piece of my past that was given back to me, or a new family." A tiny smile tugged at the Wizard's lips, and after a moment, he held out the object. Without a word, she reached out, taking the small, green glass bottle. "Mine?"

He shook his head. "Mine."

She nodded. "Thinking of her again?"

"I always think of her, Elphaba. Every time I look at you, I see her." He gently slid something towards her, and she set the bottle down, reaching out to pick it up.

A woman stared back at her, a woman who looked near identical to her. She was laughing, a grin tugging at her features, the corners of her eyes crinkling in delight. She radiated joy and happiness, and it was a moment, before Elphaba realized that the woman was holding a toddler in her arms. Her own dark eyes darted up to the Wizard, and he nodded once. "This... it's... my mother." She squinted, studying the photograph closer. "And... is that... _me_?"

He nodded again, and she felt her heart begin to skip a beat. Slowly, she turned the photograph over, reading the slanted scrawl on the back that was his.

_Melinda and Eleanora_

_Kansas City, Kansas, 1939_

"Nineteen-thirty-eight? I don't understand. Why does it say 'Kansas'; that's your world. My mother was Ozian-"

He sat up, reaching out and taking the photograph to study it. "Your mother_ is_ Ozian. I met her twenty-two years ago, when I first arrived in Oz. She was a young college student, willing to help a stranger find his way around town for a night. We got to talking, got to be good friends, and it developed into something more. At one point, she asked to come back to my world with me, and she did." Elphaba's gaze darted to the photograph. "She lived with me in my world for a year, before we got pregnant with you. A child of two worlds you are, but you were born in my world. A year after this photograph was taken, your mother began to fall ill; she couldn't stay in my world any longer, and we returned to Oz."

"So it... being in your world was... making her sick?" Dark eyebrows knit together in confusion. He nodded.

"Your mother is full Ozian. You are half."

"So if I were to go to your world-"

"You would be able to handle it, because you are a part of me." He replied, turning his gaze back to the photograph. Gently, he traced the two faces. "Time... time is a tricky thing in Oz." He sighed. "We returned to Oz, the three of us, but by the time we touched down in Munchkinland, you were gone."

"It erased me." She whispered in realization, and he shrugged.

"Time runs slower here. You were a toddler in my world, but here... your mother was pregnant with you. When we discovered what had happened-" He sighed, slumping back in the chair, and Elphaba took the photograph again. "That photograph was all I had left of you. Even though here, your mother was pregnant with you, you were still gone from our lives. Our return to Oz drove us apart, and she left. I know she became involved with that minister, and to pass off her pregnancy, claimed it was his child she carried. A hasty marriage took place, from what I could figure, and you were born nine months later."

"Green. I was born _green_." The hurt tone bit into him, and he winced.

"Here you were. But in my world, you were born with skin the color of fresh cream, and the thickest auburn hair I had ever seen."

"So my skin goes green and my hair goes black here."

"I don't know what caused it-"

"_This,_ maybe?" She offered, pushing the bottle towards him. "Whatever was in here, you were giving my mother-"

"That was a tonic, created to alleviate depression. In my world, it did just that. I don't know why it did what it did here. Perhaps the components are different here in Oz. But either way, you were born as you were, and I never saw your mother again. I dreamt of finding her, of taking her back to my world, but by then it was too late. She was gone, and I had no idea how to find you, or even if you were still the little girl we had brought into the world back in thirty-eight. And then you showed up here a year ago with that bottle in hand, and I just _knew_, that fate- that Melinda- had sent you to me. Seeing you again reminded me that I had to do all I could to make this right. I had to get my daughter back, somehow."

Elphaba sat back, silent. Though something nagged at her, something she had never even considered- and not the entire mound of loose ends, just one piece of the yarn ball. After a moment, she raised her dark eyes to his, biting her lip. "If... if we went back... to your world... would my skin look like yours? Or would I cease to exist at all?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Because you were born of my world, I would _think_ you'd exist in my world, and that you'd return to your real skin color. But I'm not entirely sure. Just as I don't know if Melinda would return to us if we returned to my world, or if Death is a river, cutting across all worlds." He lapsed into silence again, and after a moment, she sighed, standing.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could use something to eat. Lunch?"

She waited, and after several moments, he chuckled, getting up and moving around the desk to take her hand. He patted it gently, giving her a gentle smile. "Lunch sounds wonderful."


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

"What was it like? Kansas?"

He looked up, unashamed to admit that he was surprised at her question. Over the last year, he had let slip very minute details of his life, mainly because she wasn't often interested. But over the last several months, as Elphaba got more and more comfortable, not just in her role as his Grand Vizier, but in her role as a member of his family, she had asked more and more questions. And slowly, the two were getting to know each other, discovering more and more of their shared interests and disinterests.

"It's... very flat in some places. There are no hills or mountains, but farmland. There's a few cities, but not many, and many farmers have acres and acres of land, so their nearest neighbors are miles away. The cities and towns are small, but filled with people."

She nodded, reaching out and picking up her cup. Silence settled between the pair again, before she spoke again. "Tell me about her."

His gaze met hers, and she waited, giving him time to think. "About who? Melinda or Melena?"

Her dark gaze narrowed in annoyance, and she pursed her lips briefly. "They're both my mother, aren't they?"

A soft chuckle escaped his throat, and he nodded. "You're right, they are." She set her coffee cup down as he spoke after several minutes. "She was... phenomenal. She would have done amazing things, had she not fallen into the life she had here. Or if she'd been able to survive in my world. Exceedingly brilliant, with a mind that never stopped. A lot like yours." She blushed. His voice softened as he spoke, as he was carried back to a time long-since passed. "The time we spent in my world was filled with laughter and light and happiness, despite the depression that was going on. Yes, we struggled to survive, there were times when we didn't have enough food to eat or enough wood to keep us warm at night, but we had each other, and that was what was important. And when you came along in thirty-eight, our life just became even more wonderful." He reached across the small table to take her hand. "You were the most precious gift we could have received."

"On the back of that photo, it says Melinda and Eleanora-"

He nodded. "We named you Eleanora after my mother." He sighed. "Her pregnancy was difficult, but it was worth it in the end, because you were in our lives. You were beautiful. Thick auburn hair, just like her. A dimple in each cheek when you smiled." She blushed, a small smile tugging at her lips, and he grinned. "You still have them." She ducked her head, blushing. He chuckled. "You were the light of our lives." Sadness filled his gaze, and after a moment, he set his fork down. "And then Melinda... then she started getting sick, a little over a year and a half after you were born- not long after I took that photograph. No one knew what was causing it; the doctors didn't know what it was or how to treat it. And then... one day after I got back from work... the Depression was just starting to fizzle out; I took what jobs I could just to make enough money to put food on the table. Melinda did some work as a seamstress, but you were a full-time job, as babies are." He chuckled softly.

She swallowed, waiting patiently. "She got sick?"

"She did. I got back from... I don't even remember what the job was, to be honest, but I got back, and she was curled up on the kitchen floor. You were sitting beside her, crying. She was conscious, but weak. It took me the next three days to nurse her back from the brink, and when she did have enough energy to from any sort of words, she just looked at me and whispered, 'Must go back'. It broke my heart."

"So we came back? Here, to Oz?"

He nodded, sniffling softly. "I was reluctant to. No matter the hardships in Kansas, it was our home, our life was there, our family had been built there. But I also knew that if we stayed any longer, I would lose her, and I couldn't raise a child alone. You needed your mother. So we returned."

"And when you got back here, I was gone. Or... my mother was pregnant with me."

"Yes." He took a deep breath. "I let it drive us apart, and I watched her walk away and didn't go after her."

"Why didn't you?"

Tears glistened in his eyes. "Honestly? I thought she would have been better off without me. I could barely provide for her in my world, how was I supposed to provide for her in hers? And now, all these years later, I realize how wrong I was, how much I missed out on watching our little girl grow up." He gently squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry you grew up thinking that monster was your father, Elphaba. Had I known where you were, I would have come and gotten you immediately."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's in the past. Frex is... dead and gone now, or he _should_ be," She amended. "And Nessa is back in Munchkinland, where she belongs. And... I'm here. I'm the Grand Vizier of Oz and I live in the Emerald City with my_ father_, who's the _Wizard_." Her voice had steadily been rising with each listed reason, and eventually it became too much and she stood, breaking contact with the man and starting to pace. "I'm the most powerful sorceress since Ozma herself, and-"

He sat back, allowing her to rant, watching as she waved her hands in the air, small sparks of light escaping into the air with each movement. For the briefest of moments, he saw_ her_, and the all-too common reaction she often had to something that had been bothering her or excited her. _Oh, Melinda, my love, I see so much of you in her, it's scary. She grows more and more like you every day. You would be proud of her. _

"And _now_ I find out that my mother lived in your world for _at least_ two years, and that I was actually _born_ in _your_ world, so_ therefore_, if we look at the _technicality_ of _everything_, I'm never even_ Ozian!_ I have no right or reason to claim to be so! And I certainly have no right to be!"

"Elphaba!" She stopped, turning to him. He stood, making his way towards her. "I don't ever want to hear you say that you have no right to being Ozian- you _are_ Ozian. Half or whole, you are _still_ Ozian, and you have just as much right, if not more, to be not just here, but in Oz in general, as anyone else." He reached up, caressing her cheek; the tears slid down her cheeks, and he could tell that she'd been bottling this up for a while. "Oh, my sweet girl, don't you _ever_ doubt your worth, you hear me?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

Two months had gone by since Elphaba's surprise visit to Shiz, and in that time, Fiyero and Glinda had gone through every possible reason for her staying in the City with no luck- either it wasn't plausible or was out of Elphaba's character.

It was now mid-March, and the school was preparing to close for the week-long break. Midterms had come and gone, and everyone was ready for a much needed reprieve from lectures and assignments. He and Glinda sat in the cafeteria, making plans to spend their week in the City- Fiyero had written his parents weeks earlier, informing them of his plans, and had casually suggested that _perhaps_, if he were so lucky, he could possibly meet the Wizard, and _possibly_ bring up probable trade between the City and Vinkus, in hopes of strengthening relations, and, as the Crown Prince, he would be acting on behalf of the King and Queen.

He didn't mention that he most likely would _not_ see the Wizard, but more than likely end up speaking with the Wizard's Grand Vizier, who handled the majority of the schedule for the Wizard. He said nothing about the Vizier being the girl he'd fallen in love with at Shiz, nor about his hopes of trying to convince her to return to Shiz-

"Will it really work?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, turning blue eyes to Glinda. "What?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Do you ever listen at all?" She muttered quickly under her breath, before grabbing her coffee cup. "If we go to the City for break, do you really think we'll get to meet the Wizard. Er, I mean, see Elphie." She blushed at her slip up, but Fiyero ignored it. He handed her the letter, and she took it after a moment's hesitation.

"My parents' response. They think it's a wonderful idea. We need to establish more relations with the other countries of Oz if we're going to truly expand on trade, and my audience with the Wizard- or his Grand Vizier, which is more likely- will show the City that the Vinkus means to be a serious partner in trade, if given the chance."

Glinda raised an eyebrow. "But you're not planning on talking trade with the Wizard. Or Elphie."

"I'll talk trade to keep up appearances." He muttered, sipping his coffee. "But the first instance I get her alone, I'm going to drop the act and try to talk her into coming back to Shiz."

"But we graduate in three months,"_ If we both pass._ "What would be the point of her returning if we're leaving?" He sighed, setting his cup down.

"Then I'll tell her to tell us what the reason was behind her staying. See if I can convince her to let us back into her life." The blonde nodded, opening her mouth to speak as other students who had just finished their last classes swarmed the cafeteria. Without a word, Fiyero stood, nodding for Glinda to follow. Once they had both escaped the chaos and returned to Glinda's dorm, the blonde spoke up, taking a seat on her bed, beside a couple of packed suitcases. She'd been slowly sending things back home- dresses she never wore anymore, shoes she didn't need, purses she hardly looked at, let alone used, anymore, coats she thought would be better used by those in need; each box had a note requesting the things inside be given to the charities in Gillikin. Yes, she kept the things she had worn for years, the clothes she truly loved, but the rest-

"And what if she doesn't come back?" Fiyero watched her, saw how much she had changed in the year since Elphaba had left them. She'd become subdued, hesitant almost, in the way she spoke and acted. She attempted to blend in with the crowd as opposed to standing out, as she'd tried so hard to do their freshman year. Suddenly, being the most popular girl in school no longer interested her. She threw herself into her schoolwork, convinced it was what Elphaba would have wanted, insisting that if she didn't do well, Elphaba would never forgive her. "Fiyero? If she doesn't come back? Don't say you're going to leave me too."

He shrugged, leaning back against the door. His gaze flicked to the other side of the room, where Elphaba's things had once resided, where she had slept and done schoolwork. It was strange, being in this dorm now that Elphaba was no longer here. It seemed even emptier now than when it was first discovered that she was not coming back. "If she doesn't come back," He sighed, pushing himself away from the wall. "I don't know what I'll do."

"We can't convince her to come back, Fiyero. If her mind's made up, her mind's made up. It's her choice." Sadness tinged Glinda's voice, and he sighed.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Glinda?" He asked, taking a seat beside her. "Just... let her walk away for a third time while she's out... finding herself or... whatever it is she's doing?"

"I don't think she's out to find herself. I think the Wizard offered her something major, and she took it, thinking it would get her what she wants. And if you want my honest opinion, I don't think _Elphie knows_ what she wants. I think she's doing the Wizard's bidding, without actually getting anything in return."

"You think he's holding her hostage?" Fiyero's brows rose in surprise. Glinda shrugged.

"Even if he's not, he's got something she really, really wants, and he's probably using it to keep her there. I don't think she's staying in the City of her own volition. She may be his Grand Vizier, but there's more to it than that. There's something personal keeping her at his side, we just need to figure out what." The blonde shrugged, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Fiyero nodded, Elphaba's words from those two months previous coming back to him. _Personal. Something personal._ "The only thing I could think of that would be personal enough for her to even consider staying would be if it had something to do with her sister. Or her mother."

Glinda's head snapped up, eyes suddenly wide with realization. "That's it!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

Glinda had hastily explained what she thought was keeping Elphaba at the Wizard's side, and after some contemplation, Fiyero agreed that there was a fair chance she could be right. He'd then gone to Madame Morrible, feigning that his parents had written him and asked him to hurry immediately to the City, that there was urgent business to attend to, and that since he was to be on break for the next week or so, that he was to go in their stead, as a representative of the Vinkun royal family. At first, Morrible was unconvinced, until Fiyero brought up the possible meeting with the Wizard and his Grand Vizier.

"Yes, yes, of course, it's perfectly understandable, Master Fiyero. You _are_ your parents' dignitary while you're here, after all. And as I'm to understand it, your classes were finished two days prior, so of course, you may take off early for the spring break if you wish."

He relaxed, giving her a soft smile. "Thank you, Madame." With a quick nod, he turned to go, but stopped. "Madame?"

"Yes?" She looked up from the paperwork she'd returned to.

"Miss Glinda and I share several classes. Hers have also finished, and if I am to understand correctly, she is returning to Gillikin for the break. Would it be all right if I were to accompany her as far as the station in the City?" He waited, biting his lip.

Silence filled the air, before eventually, the giant fish-woman nodded, lost in thought. "I suppose, if it is all right with Miss Glinda, then yes, she may accompany you to the Emerald City, Master Fiyero."

He smiled again, genuinely this time, and gave a quick bow of thanks. Once out of Morrible's office, he hurried to the gate, where Glinda stood waiting with a couple suitcases; the others she'd shipped home weeks earlier. "Well? What did Horrible Morrible say?"

He took the suitcase she held, before grabbing his rucksack and slinging it over his shoulder and grabbing the only suitcase he planned to bring with him. "I'm to escort you as far as the train station of the Emerald City so that you may catch your train to Gillikin."

Her face fell, and she quickly grabbed the other one, hurrying to catch up. "I'm not going home for break."

Fiyero stopped, whirling back towards her. "What do you mean you're not going home for break? You said-"

"I know, Fiyero, but... but I wrote to my parents last week and informed them that a group of friends were planning on spending the week in the City, and that I wished to join them. They said it was perfectly okay." She had the decency to look slightly guilty for deceiving him, and after a moment, the young prince sighed before yanking the door of the carriage open.

"Get in."

The ride to the Emerald City was long, but Fiyero and Glinda kept the time at bay with conversation and card games, for Fiyero had brought a deck of Vinkun playing cards along. By the time they rolled into the City, the lights shimmered in the darkness, and Glinda leaned out to look at the lights. "Oh, wow."

Though a year had passed since her visit to the City, it always managed to take the blonde's breath away. The beautiful green of the city shone like a fresh cut emerald set in a tiara; street lights glowed in the light rain that was coming down, and some distance away, sat the Emerald Palace, where the Wizard and his family- or, household, rather, since it was not known whether the Wizard had any family or not- resided. People wandered about, umbrellas out, some dressed in evening attire, probably headed to see a show or dinner, or were hurrying home from work.

Eventually, the carriage pulled up in front of The Wilted Rose, a beautiful little hotel with the grandeur of old, that looked directly on the Emerald Palace. After hurrying inside to get out of the rain, Fiyero gave the receptionist their names- for Glinda had managed to weasel the name of the hotel out of him two weeks earlier, and then made a reservation for herself, and was handed two keys- one for Glinda, one for him. They resided in adjoining rooms, with a door between them. After putting his things away, he helped Glinda unpack, but all too soon, the girl found herself drawn to the window. Both rooms looked out on the palace, and she sighed.

"If she's his Grand Vizier, then that means she's staying at the palace, right?"

Fiyero nodded, shutting the drawer of the dresser and moving to put her suitcases away. "Yeah. Why?" He joined her at the window, his own gaze going to the palace that looked down on them.

She sighed, turning back to him. "It just... she's so close now. We're in the same city, not... miles apart. We can go to the palace and request an audience with the Grand Vizier if we wished." She met his gaze. "I mean... you're going to _have_ to, if you want to keep up the ruse." He nodded. "The Wizard's frightening, but... it's Elphie. How scary can she be? Don't answer that." He smiled softly at her, before quickly kissing her forehead and going to the adjoining door.

"Good night, Glinda."

She watched him go with a whispered reply, before turning back to the window. The rain was obscuring her view but only slightly; the emerald palace still shone bright, like a beacon in a storm. To think, that Elphie was_ so close- _she was somewhere in the City, now it was up to Glinda and Fiyero to find her. She sighed, resting her head on her arms as she let the sound of the rain begin to lull her to sleep, the beauty of the Emerald Palace. "We'll find you, Elphie, and bring you home. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Written: 2010. Rewritten: 2015. Found: 2018.- Licia**

The City was bathed in the early morning light, left over from the rainstorm the night before. Turning from the mirror, she grabbed her gloves and then slipped out of her room, nodding to the staff as she went. She had an early morning engagement- a meeting with the Headmaster of Emerald University, in regards to making college more accessible to students of all monetary class.

"I'll be back in a couple hours!"

"Are you sure you don't want a guard with you?" She stopped, hand on the doorknob and turned, to find the Wizard coming out of the parlor, a cup of coffee in his hands. She sighed. "Don't give me that look. I worry about you."

"I know you do, but I'll be fine. I'll only be gone an hour, two hours tops." She quickly did the top button of her coat, before adjusting the clutch she held. Then, with a small nod, she pulled open the door and stepped out into the early morning sunlight. The Wizard sighed, before hurrying to the door.

"El-" He swallowed. "Eleanora!"

She stopped. The name was foreign, and yet, distinctly familiar to her. Since learning of her real name, of her real lineage, she had been eager to have her name returned to her- her real name, the name she'd been given at birth. The name Melinda- not Melena- had chosen. She turned, meeting his gaze. The valet held the door open to her, but she ignored him. Without a word, she made her way back to him, heels clicking on the pavement. "Say it again."

The older man sighed, kneeling down to set his cup at his feet. "Please, be careful, Eleanora. You're not just my Grand Vizier, you're my_ daughter_."

A small smile tugged at her lips, and she leaned down, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll be careful, I promise." Then, she pulled away, hurrying back to the car and climbing inside. He watched in silence as it pulled away from the curb.

As the car made its way down the streets of the City, she let her mind wander back to that night, when he had finally told her the truth- of who her mother had been, and who_ she_ was. In the time that had since passed, she wanted to learn all she could about her past, her mother and the Wizard's world. And she insisted, when they were not in the public eye, that the Wizard refer to her by her real name, the name she'd been born with.

_Eleanora. _

It was beautiful, when she thought of it. There was a dignity about it, an old world beauty about it, even. She let her head rest against the glass of the window. If she were still, she could almost see her mother staring back at her. _Melinda, not Melena. Melena was cold and distant, but Melinda- _

Though she possessed no real memories of the woman her mother had been before Oz, the Wizard's stories had given her enough of an understanding that she could imagine what the woman who had lived in his world was like. Loving, tender, gentle. Funny and carefree, despite the hardships they faced. A woman who loved her daughter and the life she'd built.

She lifted her head when the car pulled up in front of The Wilted Rose. The old hotel had the nicest cafe- The Fallen Petal- in all of the City, as far as she was concerned, and when she went out, she often chose to stop at the Fallen Petal before returning to the palace. She smiled at the valet as he stepped back and allowed her to exit the car. "Thank you. I should be done in an hour or two." He nodded, shutting the door behind her before climbing back into the car and pulling away from the curb.

Once he was gone, she turned back to the hotel; with her old Emerald City charm, she was a historic marker, having lived through the chaos of years past, when the City ran wild, having seen the ravages of war, and the shining health of new beginnings. She loved The Wilted Rose. Those first days after she'd agreed to the Wizard's offer, she'd spent at The Wilted Rose, while she got accustomed to living in the City, and all that came with being his Grand Vizier.

Taking a deep breath, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and made her way into the hotel, ignoring the whispers of those she passed. It was rare, to see the Wizard, and even rarer to see his Grand Vizier out in the City unattended. Often, she had a guard following behind her, a few feet away, which often forced people to keep their distance.

Once inside, she relaxed, drinking in the beautiful marble floors beneath her feet, and the art Deco designs that decorated the hotel's lobby. Without a second thought, she made her way across the marble floors towards the cafe. "Ah, Madame Vizier. What a pleasure."

"It's good to see me, isn't it?" She chuckled softly. "My usual table, Cattery."

"Right this way." The young hostess with the violet eyes reached for a menu, when she stopped. "Is it just you today?"

"I have a meeting with the Headmaster of Emerald University." The younger woman nodded, grabbing a second menu before leading Elphaba through a maze of small tables towards one at the back, near a small reading nook.

"I hope everything goes well, Madame. Shall I fetch your usual coffee while you wait?" She nodded as she took a seat, and the young hostess hurried off to fetch the requested drink. Once she was gone, Elphaba quickly glanced over the menu, before setting it aside. She ignored the usual whispers, only looking up from her thoughts when Cattery set the coffee before her, and flashed the hostess a small smile.

A couple tables over, Fiyero and Glinda were discussing where to start in regards to finding Elphaba, when voices caused them both to turn. They watched as a man not much older than them made their way to the table not far away; the woman stood, moving around the table towards the man. She held out a hand, which the took and brushed a kiss to. She smiled at him, engaging in small chitchat as they took their seats across from each other. Glinda narrowed her gaze. In this light, the woman looked_ really_ familiar-

"Fiyero, I... I think that's... that's Elphie!"


End file.
